


[C] Back from the Dead

by OneofWebs



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fear of Death, Grief/Mourning, Hiding, Missing in Action, Running Away, Titans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29292108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneofWebs/pseuds/OneofWebs
Summary: When all they can find of her is a locket she wore around her neck, Levi can only assume the worse. Jenna is dead, and he'll never see her again.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 14





	[C] Back from the Dead

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ourloveisgone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourloveisgone/gifts).



When the scouting group returned, they went for Captain Levi first, because by now, everyone knew why he’d been so adamant that the scouting group go out in the first place. A mission had been lost, three people with it, and only two of them had been found. With them was something that they thought Levi needed to see, and it was with a hesitant, shaking arm that the first member of this scouting group reached out and handed it over.

They were at one of the survey corps’ outposts, never far from danger but close enough that home was on the horizon where they could be safe. All around them, people were bustling from side to side, trying to get things ready for their move in the morning, but everything stopped at the return of the scouting group. Everyone knew why they’d left and seeing them return with only two of the missing survey corps members had but a sick feeling in the air, and all of the eyes in the camp were on Levi as he took what was offered.

“Found two of them,” the young boy said. “This was the only other thing. Thought it might—well.” The boy didn’t say anything further, because he didn’t have to.

Levi looked at the necklace he’d been given and felt his heart stop in his chest and breath catch in his throat. It wasn’t just a necklace, because if it had just been some old necklace they found on the ground, he wouldn’t have cared. But it was a locket. A silver, heart shaped locket that he remembered so patiently putting around Jenna’s neck in the mornings when she couldn’t quite muster the coordination to do it herself. She always asked with such a sweet voice, and though Levi snorted, it was a feigned annoyance.

He loved the intimacy and the touch that came with being so closer to her neck to put something around it. The locket meant something to her, so for her to let him handle it meant more than even he would ever truly know, though she had tried valiantly to explain it to him, once. Now, he had that locket in his hand, and Jenna wasn’t around with it to smile at him, to tell him some story of her mother or her family. Levi’s body felt heavy, and he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Thank you,” Levi said, then curled his fingers around the locket.

He didn’t meet the eyes of the scouting group that had brought this back to him, because he didn’t want to. Neither did he want to hear their excuses, of which he sure many were coming. They did all they could, looked everywhere they thought to look. There were no traces of the third person, but she wasn’t just any _person_. She was Jenna, and Levi cared so damn much about her that he didn’t know what to do with himself. It was like the locket burned in his hand, but he still couldn’t let it go. It was too important. Meant too much.

“Captain—”

“You’re dismissed,” Levi barked.

He dismissed himself in the same moment, turning on his heel and heading back towards one of the tents. He couldn’t believe this had happened, and less so could he even believe what it meant. There was blood on the locket, blood that the unskilled scouts likely hadn’t taken the time to notice, but Levi had. He knew what this locket meant to Jenna, or at least half of what it meant. Something. Enough to know that she wouldn’t take it off without something happening beforehand.

Jenna was dead. That’s the only thing this could have possibly meant, that Jenna was dead. The only woman he loved, the one that he trusted the most, that he confided in, she was dead. If this was all they found, then Levi could only assume the worst. She wasn’t just dead, a mangled body they could find somewhere if they looked hard enough, but she was gone. Eaten. Consumed entirely by one of those monsters, the very ones they were sent out here to kill.

It _sucked_. Levi didn’t often lower himself to such thoughts of sucking and unfairness, but he couldn’t think of anything else but that. That this was unfair, that it sucked. Jenna had worked so hard, and she was such a skilled part of their team now. Maybe not the best, but she’d come far enough that they felt _safe_ sending her out there into the danger, and this was just the one time that the danger had been too much. Levi was even angry at the rest of her team had made it back.

He stopped himself before he thought it, but he felt it. That they should have died, too. He was the captain of a dying unit, which meant he couldn’t afford to wish death on people, but if it meant that Jenna could have come home to him, then why couldn’t it have happened? By the time Levi dropped down to a chair, tears were already welling up in his eyes. Tears he wouldn’t let fall. He didn’t cry for anyone, but for Jenna, he might just make an exception.

Jenna was everything to him, and now she was gone. He wouldn’t even get to bury her, and the thought of burying her locket instead hurt too bad to think about. Instead, Levi just put the necklace around his own neck and left it to dangle there where everyone could see it.

Jenna tucked herself down near the roots of the trees where the ground had been dug out by some animal that no longer lived here. It was the perfect space for her to disappear into, and with that, the titan had no idea where she was. She heard it ran, the size of it shaking the ground around her and the trees with it, but Jenna didn’t move. She didn’t make a sound. Even her breathing slowed, despite the pounding of her heart. She knew how to keep herself controlled, how to not give straight into the fear.

She was so afraid, listening to the titan. It was smarter than the normal ones. A normal one would have lost sight of her and carried on, but this one was smart. She heard it start to _look_ for her, searching through the trees and the underbrush. It knew she couldn’t have gotten far, because how could she have? Her gear was broken. The titan had a hand on her once, and that’s all it had taken to damage her gear beyond use. All she could do now was run and running from a titan was stupid.

Hiding from a titan was just as stupid, but she was in the ground. It couldn’t get her here, even if it did manage to find her tucked between the roots. She didn’t think that it would, but just in case, she tucked herself down as low as she could.

All she could hope was that the others had managed to get away. The titan would stay for the easiest prey, and without her gear, that meant her. She listened to it, eyes closed so she didn’t have to _see_ through the top of her hole, as it stomped around. It tore at the forest around them, shrieking out these horrible, disgusting noises as it looked for its dinner. Jenna wasn’t ready to be anyone’s dinner. She just wanted to get home. It was all she could think about.

Levi would be waiting for her. He would be so proud of her, too, that she had made it back on her own. She’d even made sure that the other two members of her squad were _safe_. She was learning from the best, of course, always trying to imitate what Levi was capable of. He was more of an effective leader than she was, more effective at killing titans, but she was doing the best that she knew how, and it was enough that she just knew he would be happy to see her.

He would tell her what a great job she did and smile at her, that smile that only she got to see. He didn’t smile around the camp, and he certainly didn’t tell anyone else they were doing a god job. He expected the best. Jenna finally felt like she could give it to him.

When the rampage above finally calmed down, Jenna opened her eyes and waited for another thirty seconds. She counted each one in time with her breath, staring up ahead and waiting for the noise to start up again. The titan might have just gone silent, trying to lure her out, but there was no way to check until she was lured out. After those thirty seconds, Jenna pulled herself out of the hole as slowly and quietly as she could manage. Once she was on her knees, she stopped and waited for another thirty seconds.

She took in her surroundings, looking from one side to the other. She felt for tremors in the ground, listened for anything out of place, and even sniffed the air. Titans had a stench to them, and though it lingered long after they were gone, it did start to dissipate. Every sign pointed out that she was alone, that the titan had gotten tired of searching and decided to wander off in search of easier prey. Always easier prey. Someone that it couldn’t find became difficult, obviously.

“Okay,” she whispered to herself, clutching at her chest. She noticed then that her necklace was gone, but there wasn’t time to worry about it. She just had to get going.

“Home is north,” she muttered, looking to the right. That was the way she had to go, and she had to be quick about it.

Jenna took off, but not quite in a run. Her pace was as quick as she could manage it without making too much noise; she _never_ wanted to make too much noise. She might entice the titan right back to her, and that would spell nothing but death. As it were, she kept low to the ground and looked from side to side as she went. There would be no sense in stopping now. She just had to keep going, hoping that it wouldn’t take her too terribly long to make it home.

Making it there on foot was sure to be a chore, but she knew well enough about the mushrooms and berries that she could eat that, hopefully, she wouldn’t starve to death before she made it. Once she was out of the forest and into the open fields, her chances of survival were lower. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. She would just have to keep going, hope for the best, because on the other side of it was the outpost they were staying at, and at that outpost was Levi. _Home_.

Levi had never been so glad to hear something was delayed. They meant to make their move as early as possible, but with broken wagons, they needed to take time to make the repairs. It meant they would be here for another two, three days, and he had never been happier to hear that. Though he’d spent his time in quiet mourning, fiddling with Jenna’s necklace between his fingers, he still had some hope that this was all a horrible dream. She was coming right back if he just waited long enough.

When the second day rolled around, though, Levi found his hopes dashed. They’d been foolish, anyway. Not something he should have given any stock to. It wasn’t as if he’d ever seen anyone just outrun a titan. Jenna was no different. She was human, just like the rest of them, which meant she could die. She was already dead. It’s why he had her necklace.

Though Levi hardly ate and hardly helped, nobody in the camp came to him for anything. Nobody complained that he wasn’t pulling his fair share or helping organize the move well enough. They all knew what he was going for, though nobody would speak it out loud. They could all see the empty, hollow look in his eyes, and that was enough to know that it was best to just not talk about the situation. Anyone who had been there for his exchange with the scouts recognized his new piece of jewelry, too, which was an even better reason not to speak.

Levi kept to himself and to his tent, busying himself with things that didn’t need his attention. It was the only way to keep himself together, because if he went too long, he didn’t know where his head went, just that it was someplace dark. This must have been what it felt like to live in a world without Jenna. He didn’t like it. As long as he kept himself distracted, he didn’t have to think about how much he didn’t like it.

On the third day, Levi left his tent at the same time everyone was heading back into theirs. It was the last day of repairs, and he wasn’t ready to head back to the wall. For that reason, he took this time to himself, stepping all the way out to the outskirts of their camp where he could really, truly be alone. Even if he hadn’t talked to anyone, he’d still been around people. He’d heard them outside, their talking and their packing, their repairs. There was just so much _stuff_ happening all the time, and for the first time, Levi hated it.

His world was going slower now, and he felt like it shouldn’t be. At the same time, he thought it wouldn’t take him just three days to get over Jenna’s death, he also thought that he shouldn’t have ever tried to mourn at all. Soldiers died all the time. Jenna wasn’t special. Levi had prepared himself long ago that he would fall in love and then watch that woman die, so he shouldn’t have felt this way. He did, anyway.

Levi found himself a place to sit down in the grass, his knees bent and arms resting on them. He looked out, south and towards the forest, and just waited. The sun was already setting, painting the sky with purples, oranges, and pinks. Levi almost let himself smile, but not quite. Not all the way. He just wanted to watch the sunset, and with it, he’d put it all to sleep. In the morning, he would wake up ready to go, ready to face his job as Captain Levi. For the moment, he could just be Levi.

Something changed on the horizon, right at the lowest point. Levi saw something _moving_ , but something small. If it were a titan, he would know about it. They were large and lumbering, truly frightening things to even the strong of heart. This wasn’t like that. Levi would almost venture to say that it was human sized.

He pulled himself up, looking to the shadow with wide eyes. He recognized the outline. It was someone wearing 3D-maneuvering gear. They limped as they walked, as they _ran_ , he realized. They were coming towards the camp as quick as they could manage, and for a moment, Levi let himself _hope_ to whatever god still existed that this was who he thought it was. It was too dark to tell from this distance, but they were coming closer. Closer.

“Levi!” Jenna cried, throwing herself at him the moment she was close enough.

Levi caught her, still just as shocked as he’d been to see a figure on the horizon. He held her, feeling her shaking body in his arms. She was cold and wounded, but alive. She was _alive_. Alive. In his arms, holding onto him and trying desperately to catch her breath.

“Oh my god,” Jenna whispered, pulling back. “Oh my god, Levi, I’m— _Levi_ —”

“You’re alive,” Levi repeated, staring at her with wide eyes. He didn’t believe it. “I thought you were dead.”

“They—told you I was dead?” Jenna gawked. “No, _no_ , I—” she shook her head. “No, Levi, I did so good. I told them to run. The titan—the titan was after me, so I hid in the ground. The ground, there was—”

“Jenna,” Levi whispered, cupping her face in his hands. “Calm down. You’re safe.”

He said it in a way that meant he was trying to prove it to himself, too, that Jenna was right in front of him. She smiled at him, finally stopping to try and catch her breath. Then, she nodded. Their fingers intertwined before Levi started to lead her off, quickly, back through the camp.

He took Jenna straight to his tent where he still had a few lanterns burning, having not bothered to put them out before he left. Jenna sat down on his cot, but before she could start doing it herself, Levi went to help take off her gear. While he hovered there, working at the straps around her legs, Jenna’s own eyes went wide as she finally saw it.

“My necklace,” she breathed out.

Levi stopped, then looked up at her. “They brought it back,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself. I should give it back.”

Jenna smiled. “I can’t believe you kept it safe. I can’t believe— This is why they told you I was dead, isn’t it?”

“It was all they could find.” Levi undid the chain and clasped it around Jenna’s neck instead.

As close as they were, then, Levi couldn’t help himself. He leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes. Jenna’s eyes closed too, and she grinned. She put clasped her hands around his neck to keep him there, and for a moment, they just existed in the moment.

“I’m so glad you’re alive,” Levi said, his voice half-broken. “Thought you were dead. _Mourned_ you like you were.”

Jenna shook her head. “I made it out. You’d be so proud, Levi. I did everything right. It was all I could think about, getting back to tell you.”

Levi scoffed. That would just be what she did.

“I want to hear about it, then,” he said. “Everything that you did. I’m just glad to have you back.”

He took hold of her hands, then, peeling them away from his neck so he could hold them instead. He kissed her knuckles before looking back to her, and then Jenna did the rest. She pushed forward, pressing their lips together with a sharp inhale. She couldn’t imagine _not_ coming back, leaving Levi without her.

“What would you do if I died?” She asked as she pulled away, eyes still half-lidded. “Who would make you food? You’d starve to death, Levi.”

He gave her a weak grin in return. “I almost did,” he admitted, which just had Jenna coming back in for another kiss.

She had no intentions of leaving him. At least, not so soon. His arms wound around her, and she held him back. She could tell him about everything she did in the forest come morning; it would be a long trek back to the wall. For now, they could just relish in the fact that she was _alive_. Levi had thought she was dead, been so ready to believe. To have her back in his arms was more than he could fathom.

They stopped for only a moment so Levi could help her out of her broken gear, but after, they both squeezed their way onto a single cot. They kept their arms around each other, legs tangled, and that was all they needed. It was the one time Levi didn’t mind being shorter than Jenna, because he rested his head on her chest and listened to the beat of her heart. She was home.

**Author's Note:**

>   
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> 


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